


riding this high (i'll be by your side)

by baecobz



Series: in every universe [2]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Ambiguous Relationships, Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, M/M, Pining, lapslock, lots of water metaphors and stuff like tht, soft, which is funny since bodies of water Scare Me but. yeah
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-20
Updated: 2018-05-20
Packaged: 2019-05-09 06:17:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14710697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baecobz/pseuds/baecobz
Summary: whether mark's actually perfect or not, at least he'll always fit in yukhei's arms.





	riding this high (i'll be by your side)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [leekuanlin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/leekuanlin/gifts).



by all means, mark is perfect.

yukhei’s not even sure if the younger boy has ever made a mistake in his life; he’s unbelievably smart, insanely athletic, and has a heart of gold. if anyone told yukhei that angels had been confirmed to be living on earth, he wouldn’t even bat an eye before using that as an explanation to mark’s truly otherworldly perfection.

the problem?

as perfect as mark is, he doesn’t ask for help.

granted, he doesn’t need it often. when you’re used to being a flawless one-man team, yukhei imagines you don’t often find yourself in a situation that requires someone else to give you a hand. it still makes yukhei’s heart lurch, though, when he sees mark come home after yet another long day of work in solitude, putting in overtime that he could’ve avoided if he weren’t so stubborn.

so maybe that’s mark’s flatal flaw. yukhei wants to say that mark will get better, but he honestly can’t bring himself to believe that; instead, he lets himself curl against mark’s side, humming against his shoulder in the way that he knows helps mark relax.

“there’s something calming about it,” mark had said once, “i don’t know. it just feels safe.”

and so after long days like this, when mark’s too stubborn and caught up with his pride and insecurities, yukhei brings mark close against his chest and holds him like he’ll drown if he doesn’t.

truth be told, yukhei loves moments like this, loves how quiet and calm mark gets when he’s sitting between yukhei’s legs and dozing off against his shoulder. it’s rare that he gets to see the younger so at ease, drained of the deadlines and to-do lists that seems to follow him outside of the house.

yukhei rests his chin on mark’s shoulder, humming softly. mark responds by tilting his head back, smiling softly, and he looks so small and delicate under yukhei’s hands that his heart aches with the need to _protect_.

he knows, rationally, that mark’s better suited to protect himself than yukhei is; where mark is leaner and shorter, he’s still got a fast tongue and faster hands, especially compared to yukhei’s friendly waves and awkward gestures. as tiny as mark looks sometimes, yukhei is too used to ignoring it. it doesn’t really make sense, after all, to focus on something like that when instead he can think about the places that mark’s going to go, or the discoveries and changes he’s going to make.

the size difference between the two of them isn’t something that yukhei thinks about a lot, but sometimes he’ll see mark staring at their hands on top of each other or the expanse of skin that hides under yukhei’s palm when he presses it against mark’s thigh, and it doesn’t take more than that for yukhei to know that mark likes the difference, somehow. that after long hours of being king of the sea, he can come home and be small without worrying about getting swept aside.

there are days, of course, when mark’s too used to standing taller than he’s meant to, and it’s so, so hard for yukhei to bring him back down to the shore, to reign in his thoughts and let him relax. on those occasions, rare as they may be, mark never lets it happen easily. he’s always pulling away with empty excuses and unthinkable remarks, and yukhei’s stuck pulling and pulling as mark swims further into the ocean. it’s a typical push and pull of salt water against sand, but at some point or another, mark finally holds onto the raft that yukhei sends and lets himself get pulled home.

(there have been occasions where yukhei thought he was too late, sure, but mark’s always full of surprises. after one too many scares of mark overworking himself and pushing yukhei away, yukhei’s learned to trust that as much as the younger may stumble and fall, he’ll always come back before the damages are irreparable.)

other times, though, mark simply comes home with his mouth drawn in a tight line, making a direct path into yukhei’s arms without a word. this is one of those times, and yukhei savors the feeling of mark finally slouching against him, stress dripping from his body as his eyes flutter closed. it’s a beautiful sight, one that yukhei would want to see a million times if not for the worries that come before it.

no matter what kind of day it is, yukhei trusts that mark will always be able to see that little lighthouse he calls home, always be able to swim back far enough for yukhei to hold him tight in his arms.

at some point, that alone won’t be enough, and yukhei will be left scrabbling for more as mark drifts away. that point’s still far enough in the horizon for yukhei to duck his head and ignore, and if the way mark curls further against him is any indication, he’s not the only one pretending the future is always one step further away than it should be.

they don’t quite have a name for this thing crashing down between them in waves, too busy trying to give it space to think about the impending flood. yukhei’s content leaving it be, anyways; the last thing he wants is to get caught up in the current when he could be swimming by the shoreline instead.

so he lets it sit unperturbed, festering unbothered when yukhei presses a kiss to mark’s knuckles or lets his fingers card through mark’s hair. it’s something to remember and contemplate some other time, when his priority isn’t to bring mark close and remind him how nice it feels to be loved.

they’ll get to it eventually; perhaps when the moonlight makes the waves seem bigger than they are, that’ll be the time for them to confront the feelings built up so long, to acknowledge the fact that friends don’t normally treat each other like lifelines.

just the thought of it has yukhei’s toes curling against the carpet, mind whirling over the idea that there might be a lifetime of moments like this just waiting for them in the future. there’s always the flip side, so yukhei doesn’t let his hopes get too high, but he’s glad that regardless of what happens, it’s with mark by his side.

because maybe mark’s not quite perfect, but he smiles and talks like he is, so that’s all the reason yukhei needs to fall back into his waves time and time again.

**Author's Note:**

> me, not writing a very clearly romantic fic: h a h. this is fine. im fine. i dont need to Include them pining and falling in love. i dont
> 
> anyways,, yes. markhei r cute so uhh if u can relate then!! hmu on [twitter](http://twitter.com/woo6in) or [curiouscat](http://curiouscat.me/6woojin) (u can also send me ideas for markhei or any other ships u like!)  
> trying to write every day is.. a lil hard ngl but i hope all these fics r turning out okay!! any kudos/bookmarks/comments r rlly greatly appreciated <333 huge huge thank u for reading!! lov u!!!!


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